clipped from: www.alternet.org   

The Five Most Wanted Rip-off Artists from Wall Street and Washington


Our economy didn't melt down, it was taken down the unbridled greed of economic elites, enabled by their political courtesans in Washington.

What the hell's happening here? Why is my bank in the tank? And my house and job? And my retirement money? Even my state's teetering on the brink of broke! Who did this to us?


Fair questions, but we're not getting honest answers. Last year, at the first signs of the global financial slide toward the abyss, we were told that it's just a little hiccup caused by something called subprime mortgages. Not to worry, the Powers That Be declared confidently, for we have the damage contained. And rest assured that "the fundamentals of our economy are sound."